Watches For Lefties

Left or Right Handed?

By the time that an infant is 6 months old, it has already developed a preference for one hand. It's estimated that 90% of the people in the world are right handed, with the remaining 10% being left handed.

Nobody knows exactly why this happens, but it's a phenomenon which can be seen in our closest primate relatives also. Chimpanzees also have both right and left handed individuals. Interestingly enough, the percentage split is the almost the same as for humans, with 90% of chimps showing a preference for their right hand.

Obviously, with 90% of the population being right handed, the large majority of products and tools are designed with right handed people in mind. That is often not a big problem, but there are some items where being a southpaw can be a disadvantage.

Watches For Lefties

One item where it can be difficult for lefties to use the "standard" right handed design is the common or garden wristwatch. If you're left handed, then you have 3 basic choices when it comes to wristwatches:

1. Wear a standard, right handed wristwatch on your left wrist and adapt to operating the controls with your right hand.
2. Wear a standard right handed wrist watch on your right wrist and get used to "reacing over" the watch whenever you want to access the controls.
3. Get  a wristwatch specifically designed for left handed users and wear it on your right wrist.

If you're not left handed then you might wonder what the fuss is about. Why not just wear a standard wristwatch on your left wrist after all?

That is certainly possible, but the trouble is that if you have your wristwatch on the hand which you use for most activities, then, whenever you want to know the time, you will need to stop what you're doing.

So if, for example, you're writing a letter, or a text, and you want to check the time, you will have to stop and check your watch. There are plenty other activities where a quick time check would become an interruption. Checking the time is something that most people do almost subconsciously, and more frequently than they are aware of. It would soon become tiresome.

Fortunately, it's easier than ever to get hold of left handed watches. There are a small, but growing, number of styles available - and they don't cost any more than the more commonly found right handed styles.

If you are left handed yourself, then you'll certainly find life a lot easier with a stylish wristwatch on your right wrist - and one which has the controls in the correct position for you. If you're looking for a gift for a southpaw, then a left handed wristwatch will be something which is gratefully received.